Lesson 4.1B: The Ballad
 Where the Greek myths and the Aboriginal stories have been around for centuries, the European style of story telling is a more recent tradition. The Europeans have always been more interested in structured stories. Not surprisingly, this focus on structured order has produced different styles of storytelling. The traditional ballad, for example, has long been an important part of the oral tradition of European cultures, which has also become popular among North American poets and songwriters.
Ballads - An Oral European Tradition
A literary ballad is a story, typically a narrative poem, told in a very structured, formal song form. One of the earliest ballads, "The Ballad of Barbara Allen," was first printed in England in 1780. Like modern music, ballads are meant to be heard! The ballad has been a popular form for poets and song-writers since the eighteenth century through to today.
The traditional literary ballads have some specific elements in common. Any story may be told as a ballad, such as an historical account or fairy tale.
- A ballad tells a story with a beginning, middle and end, and is meant to be sung.
- The emphasis is on action and dialogue.
- A ballad has short lines and four-line stanzas.
- It derives from an oral tradition, and may have an anonymous author.
- The rhyme scheme is typically abab or abcb, but that may vary.
- There may be a lesson to be learned.
To learn more about rhythm and rhyme, go to the Literary Device Library.
A ballad typically takes a theme with broad appeal - a love triangle, a killing, an elopement, a haunting, a long-lost lover returned, a sea battle, a land battle, a villain outwitted, a monster defeated, or any of a hundred others. Set the story to an easily remembered and singable melody. Now that is a formula for a ballad that will last through the ages!
The Canadian Ballad
Although the ballad tradition is rooted in European storytelling, the ballad as song has had tremendous popularity across North America today. Stan Rogers, a Canadian folk musician and writer, was famous for writing ballads about the lives of working people, particularly those working in fishing villages in Eastern Canada and the Maritimes.
 Now let's read the ballad "White Squall" by Stan Rogers on page 325 of your Sightlines 10 textbook.
Be sure to look up any unfamiliar words in the dictionary before you start. For example, what is a "squall"? Also, look up the word "watch" - there may be a meaning here that you may not be familiar with. |
Journal Entry 4.1B: Modern Balladeer
The ballad as a form has evolved over time. From its structured literary form popularized in the 18th century, the ballad in more recent time has evolved to become a form of popular song that is romantic or sentimental in nature. Select one of the following topics for your Journal:
1. Find an audio version of Stan Roger's ballad "White Squall." Describe how listening to the ballad in song format adds to your understanding or appreciation of the lyrics. OR
2. Identify and describe two balladeers (singer/songwriters whose lyrics focus on the romantic or sentimental) with whom you connect. What is it about the stories they tell that captures your attention?
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| Discussion Prompt |
| Identify a number of reasons why the ballad has been such a popular form of oral communication for hundreds of years. |
Guidelines for contribution:
Prioritize your top two reasons and post those in the forum area for others to see. Click here to make your forum entry now.
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Summary
Completing this lesson has helped you to:
- understand the structure and content of a traditional literary ballad
- consider the ballad in the Canadian context
- read a ballad to deepen understanding of content and form
- create a graphic representation of a ballad to apply knowledge of narrative form
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